^University  of  California 
Department  of  University  Exteinision 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/fraangelicoOOangerich 


MASTERS     IN     ART 


;jpra  ^n^^ltto 


FLORENTINE     SCHOOL 


"^■■y. 


'o> 


HASTEBS  IN   AHT     PIRATE  I 

fHOTOQRAPH    BY  BRAUN,  CLEMENT  ft  CIt 

[45] 


FHA  ANGELICO 

THE  COKONATIOX  OF  THE  VIHGIN 

LOUVHE,  PABI8 


«J  *  „«< "' 


5* 


MASTERS   IN   AHT      PLATE   III 

PHOTOGRAPHS  BY  ALINARI 

[49] 


FHA  ANGEUCO 
ANGEI.S 

FROM  THE  FRAME  OF  THE  '  M»DONN*  DEI  LINAJUOLl' 

UFFIZI  GALLEHY,  FLOHEJfCE 


MASTEBS  IN  ART     PLATE  IV 

PHOTOGRAPH   BY  ANDCRSON 

[51] 


FHA  ANGEL  ICO 

THE  MADOXNA  OF  PEBUGIA 

PEKUGIA  GAI/LEHT 


5  l: 

e  O 


H    o 
Pf  .5 


P4 

o 

9.  o  ^ 


fnimm  If 


MASTKBS  IK  AHT     PLATK  VIIX 

PHOTOGRAPH   BY  ANDERSON 

[  59  ] 


FHA   ANGELilCO 

THE  FLIGHT  INTO  EGTPT 

ACAIJEMT,  FliOKENCE 


MASTEHS  IN  AHT     PLATE  IX 

PHOTOGRAPH    BY  ANDERSON 

[61] 


J'HA  ANGELICO 

ST.  LAUHENCE  HECEIVING  THE  THEASUHES  OF  THE  GHUBCH 

CHAPEIi  OE  NICHOLAS  V.,  VATICAN,  HOME 


% 


Om 


MASTERS  IX   AKT     PLATE  X 

PHOTOGRAPH   BY  ANDERSON 

[63j 


FHA  ANGELICO 

ST.  LAURENCE  GIVING  ALMS 

CHAPEL  OF  NICHOLAS  V.,  VATICAN,  HOME 


u^ 


TOMB  OF  VRA  ANGELICO 
CHURCH  OF  SANTA  MABIA   SOPHA   MINKHVA,  HOME 

No  authentic  portrait  of  Fra  Angelico  is  known  to  exist.  The  traditional  likeness, 
in  a  fresco  by  Signorelli  at  Orvieto,  is  no  longer  considered  to  represent  him,  and  the 
head  commonly  designated  as  his  in  Fra  Bartolommeo's  'Last  Judgment,'  painted 
more  than  forty  years  after  his  death,  is  but  an  imaginary  likeness.  Probably  the 
nearest  approach  to  a  true  portrait  of  him  that  remains  is  the  effigy  on  his  tomb, 
sculptured  soon  after  his  death  by  order  of  Pope  Nicholas  v.  This  likeness  may 
have  been  copied  from  a  death-mask  or  drawn  from  the  sculptor's  memory,  but  in 
spite  of  the  deplorable  condition  to  which  time  has  reduced  it,  the  countenance  bears 
witness  that  a  strongly  individualized  portrait  was  attempted. 

[64] 


MASTERS    IN    ART 


(0iol)anni  Da  fimit 

CalUU 


BORN  1387:    DIED  1455 
FLORENTINE    SCHOOL 


FRA  ANGELICO  ^  (pronounced  An  jel'e  ko)  was  born  in  the  year  1387 
at  Vicchio,  in  the  broad  and  fertile  valley  of  the  Mugello,  Italy,  not  far 
from  Florence.  His  father,  Pietro,  gave  the  child  the  name  of  Guido,  and 
throughout  his  boyhood  he  was  known  as  Guido  da  Vicchio  from  his  birth- 
place, or  Guido  di  Pietro,  the  son  of  Pietro.  Beyond  the  year  and  place  of 
his  birth  and  his  father's  baptismal  name  we  know  nothing  with  certainty  of 
his  parentage  or  his  early  life.  It  seems  probable  that  his  youth  was  passed 
in  some  artist's  studio  or  workshop  in  Florence,  for  Vasari  tells  us  that  while 
still  very  young  he  was  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  practice  of  his  art;  and 
an  earlier  biographer,  Antonio  Billi,  relates  that  when  a  boy  he  painted  a  pic- 
ture on  the  great  screen  of  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Novella,  Florence — 
a  work  that  has  since  been  destroyed.  Nothing  definite,  however,  is  known 
concerning  the  young  Guide's  artistic  training.  Baldinucci  and  others  have 
affirmed  that  his  first  master  was  the  Florentine  painter  Gherardo  Stamina, 
but  there  is  no  documentary  evidence  to  prove  this  or  any  other  theory,  and 
Vasari  is  silent  on  the  subject.  Impossible  though  it  be  to  state  who  his  mas- 
ter was,  it  is  evident  that  the  three  great  centers  of  artistic  life  in  Florence 
in  the  early  years  of  the  fifteenth  century  all  left  their  mark  upon  his  work. 
First  of  these  important  art  centers  were  the  studios  or  workshops  of  the 
Giottesques,  or  followers  of  the  teachings  of  Giotto;  second,  the  schools  of 
the  miniaturists,  of  which  the  most  prominent  was  that  of  the  Camaldolese 
Convent  of  Santa  Maria  degli  Angeli,  where  Lorenzo  Monaco,  to  whose 
works  Fra  Angelico's  early  achievements  bear  a  certain  affinity,  was  a  leading 
member;  and  last,  and  most  important  of  all,  the  group  of  young  sculptors 
and  architects,  Jacopo  della  Quercia,  Ghiberti,  Brunelleschi,  Donatello,  and 
others,  who  were  destined  to  produce  the  most  perfect  works  of  art  of  that 

1  This  sketch  of  the  life  of  Fra  Angelico  is  based  upon  the  recent  study  of  his  life  and  works  by  Lang- 
ton  Douglas. —  Editor. 

[65] 


24  MASTERS    IN    ART 

century.  These  were  the  artistic  surroundings  of  the  young  Guido,  these  the 
influences  under  which  he  spent  his  early  years.  In  later  years  he  was  strongly 
influenced  by  the  architecture  of  Michelozzo,  and  by  the  paintings  of  Masac- 
cio  in  the  Brancacci  Chapel  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Carmine,  Flor- 
ence. 

It  is  probable  that  Guido  would  have  been  content  to  follow  the  profession  of 
a  painter,  and  that  alone,  for  the  rest  of  his  life  had  it  not  been  for  the  teachings 
of  the  great  Dominican  preacher  and  scholar,  Giovanni  Dominici,  who,  de- 
ploring the  excesses  of  the  "humanists,"  whose  pursuit  of  classical  culture 
was  already  beguiling  them  into  a  certain  tendency  to  imitate  pagan  vices, 
determined  to  counteract  the  growing  evil  by  establishing  houses  of  the  Do- 
minican Order  of  monks  which  should  be  conducted  under  more  rigid  rules 
than  had  hitherto  prevailed.  With  this  object  in  view  Dominici  traveled  from 
one  end  of  Italy  to  the  other,  preaching  in  all  the  principal  towns,  and  ex- 
horting the  people  to  a  more  holy  life.  His  eloquence  induced  many  young 
men  to  follow  in  his  footsteps;  and  among  those  who  sought  admission  to 
the  reformed  order  were  Guido  and  his  brother  Benedetto,  who,  in  the  year 
1407,  when  Guido  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  presented  themselves  as 
candidates  for  members.hip  at  the  convent  founded  by  Dominici  on  the  lower 
slopes  of  the  hill  of  Fiesole,  just  outside  of  Florence. 

The  two  young  men  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the  brethren,  and  at  once 
sent  to  Cortona,  where  the  novitiate  of  the  order  was  established.  At  the  end 
of  a  year  Guido  took  the  irrevocable  vows,  assumed  the  black  and  white  habit 
of  the  Dominicans,  changed  the  name  of  Guido  for  that  of  Giovanni,  and  was 
henceforth  known  as  Fra  Giovanni  da  Fiesole  (pronounced  Fee  a'  so  ly).  It 
was  not  until  after  his  death  and  beatification  that  he  was  called  "II  Beato," 
the  Blessed,  or,  still  more  generally,  "Angelico,"  the  Angelic. 

In  the  year  1409  the  monks,  forced  to  leave  Fiesole  because  of  their  fidel- 
ity to  Pope  Gregory  xii.,  and  their  refusal  to  acknowledge  Alexander  v., 
who  had  been  irregularly  elected  pope  at  the  council  of  Pisa,  and  whose  cause 
was  espoused  by  the  Florentine  government,  took  refuge  at  Foligno,  leaving 
some  of  the  younger  members  of  the  community  at  Cortona  to  follow  them 
later  to  their  new  home.  After  spending  several  years  at  Foligno,  the  whole 
brotherhood,  driven  from  there  by  a  pestilence,  settled  for  a  time  at  Cortona; 
and  when  the  schism  in  the  Church  had  been  healed,  and  the  attitude  of  the 
Florentine  government  had  become  more  friendly  toward  them,  they  returned 
to  their  former  residence  at  Fiesole.  In  all  probability  Fra  Angelico  followed 
the  fortunes  of  the  other  younger  members  of  the  community,  and  in  that 
case  seven  or  eight  years  of  his  early  manhood  were  spent  in  the  hill-set  town 
of  Cortona.  One  of  his  earliest  known  works,  an  'Annunciation,'  was  painted 
during  this  time,  and  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  Oratorio  del  Gesu  in  that  city. 

From  1418  to  1435  Fra  Angelico  lived  in  the  convent  of  his  order  at 
Fiesole.  The  Dominican  Order  fostered  the  exercise  of  both  architecture  and 
painting;  and  while  in  this  peaceful  retreat  the  young  monk  worked  with  un- 
tiring industry  at  his  art,  painting  many  pictures  not  only  for  his  own  con- 
vent, but,  with  his  prior's  consent,  for  other  religious  houses  and  for  churches, 

[66] 


FRA    ANGELICO  25 

gilds,  and  private  individuals.  Among  the  most  important  of  his  achievements 
at  this  time  are  the  great  'Coronation  of  the  Virgin '  in  the  Louvre,  a  picture 
of  the  same  subject  in  the  Uffizi,  the  'Last  Judgment'  in  the  Florentine  Acad- 
emy, and  four  great  Madonna  pictures,  of  which  the  'Madonna  dei  Linajuoli,' 
with  its  framing  border  of  angels,  is  the  best  known. 

In  the  summer  of  1435  the  brothers  of  San  Domenico  left  Fiesole  and 
moved  nearer  Florence.  Early  in  the  following  year  they  made  a  solemn 
entrance  into  that  city,  and  with  elaborate  ceremonial  took  up  their  residence 
at  the  Convent  of  San  Marco,  which,  through  the  intercession  of  Cosimo  de' 
Medici,  had  been  placed  at  their  disposal.  Owing  to  the  dilapidated  condi- 
tion of  the  building,  however,  their  new  home  was  far  from  comfortable;  many 
fell  sick,  and  some  of  the  brethren  died  in  consequence  of  the  severity  of 
the  weather  and  the  lack  of  proper  accommodations.  Finally,  in  response  to 
an  appeal  from  the  pope  on  their  behalf,  Cosimo  de'  Medici  came  to  their  as- 
sistance, and,  having  sent  for  his  favorite  architect,  Michelozzo,  caused  new 
and  commodious  buildings  to  be  erected. 

Amidst  all  the  bustle  of  the  busy  monks  settling  themselves  in  their  new 
home,  and  before  the  buildings  were  fairly  completed,  Fra  Angelico  began  to 
decorate  the  interior  walls  of  the  convent,  which  in  time  became  a  perfect 
treasure-house  of  his  works.  Convent  life  was  no  idle  existence.  Each  brother 
was  allotted  his  special  task.  Apart  from  the  regular  business  of  the  commu- 
nity, many,  skilled  in  the  art  of  illuminating  choir-books  and  missals,  devoted 
their  lives  to  this  important  branch  of  monkish  industry;  others  again  were 
sent  out  into  the  world  "to  edify  the  holy  and  convince  the  sinner"  by  argu- 
ment and  exhortation.  Not  by  the  power  of  words,  however,  but  by  setting 
before  his  brethren  scenes  from  the  gospel  story  did  Fra  Angelico  do  his  part 
toward  fixing  their  thoughts  upon  things  heavenly.  The  great  'Crucifixion' 
which  he  painted  in  the  chapter-house  is  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  his  achievements.  He  painted  smaller  frescos  of  the  chief  Do- 
minican saints  in  the  cloisters,  and  decorated  the  walls  of  the  cells  with  sacred 
subjects,  principally  scenes  from  the  life  of  Christ,  intended  to  assist  the  de- 
vout meditations  of  the  monks. 

Thus  occupied,  Fra  Angelico  had  spent  ten  years  or  more  at  San  Marco 
when  he  was  summoned  to  Rome  by  Pope  Eugenius  iv.  to  decorate  the  walls 
of  a  chapel  adjoining  St.  Peter's.  Eugenius  had  passed  many  years  in  Flor- 
ence, and  had  shown  a  special  interest  in  the  brothers  of  San  Marco,  one  of 
whom,  the  saintly  Antoninus,  he  had  appointed  to  the  archbishopric  of  that 
city,^  and  it  is  probable  that  the  works  of  their  distinguished  painter  Fra  An- 
gehco  had  attracted  his  notice. 

We  first  hear  of  the  artist  at  work  in  Rome  in  1447.  Pope  Eugenius  had 
died  a  few  weeks  before,  and  Nicholas  v.  had  succeeded  to  the  papal  chair. 
Desirous  of  carrying  out  his  predecessor's  plans,  the  new  pontiff  persuaded 
Fra  Angelico  to  proceed  with  the  work;  and  at  the  end  of  a  few  months,  with 
the  assistance  of  his  pupil  Benozzo  Gozzoli  and  four  other  painters,  the  friar 

1  None  of  the  early  chroniclers  confirm  Vasari's  statement  that  this  position  was  offered  to  Fra  Angel- 
ico, though  it  may  have  been  through  his  influence  that  Antoninus  received  the  appointment.  —  Editor. 

[67] 


26  MASTERS    IN    ART 

had  completed  in  fresco  the  decorations  of  the  chapel,  which  was  destroyed 
less  than  a  century  later  to  make  room  for  the  great  staircase  of  the  Vatican 
Palace. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Rome,  Fra  Angelico,  wishing  to  escape  from  the 
city  during  the  heat  of  summer,  arranged  with  the  directors  of  the  cathedral 
works  at  Orvieto  to  spend  the  warm  months  there  painting  the  recently  erected 
Chapel  of  San  Brizio  in  the  cathedral  of  that  town.  On  the  fifteenth  of  June 
the  friar  began  his  task  in  Orvieto,  and,  with  the  help  of  Benozzo  Gozzoli, 
painted  a  portion  of  a  'Last  Judgment'  upon  the  ceiling  of  the  chapel.  For 
some  unknown  reason  this  great  work  was  left  unfinished.  Fifty  years  later 
it  was  Completed  by  Luca  Signorelli. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  Rome  in  the  following  September,  Fra  Angelico, 
now  sixty  years  of  age,  entered  upon  what  may  be  regarded  as  the  crowning 
achievement  of  his  life — the  decoration  of  the  little  Chapel  of  Nicholas  v. 
in  the  Vatican,  on  the  walls  of  which  he  painted  his  famous  frescos  repre- 
senting scenes  from  the  lives  of  St.  Laurence  and  St.  Stephen. 

Records  show  that  toward  the  close  of  the  year  1449  Fra  Angelico  was 
again  at  Fiesole,  having  been  elected  prior  of  the  Monastery  of  San  Domen- 
ico,  and  that  three  years  after  this  he  declined  an  invitation  from  the  author- 
ities of  Prato  to  paint  the  choir-chapel  of  their  cathedral.  It  is  not  known 
just  when  he  returned  to  Rome;  but  in  1455,  when  he  was  sixty-eight  years 
old,  he  died  in  that  city,  in  the  great  convent  of  his  order,  Santa  Maria  Sopra 
Minerva,  and  was  buried  near  the  high  altar  in  the  convent  church. 

At  the  command  of  Pope  Nicholas  v.  his  effigy  in  marble  was  carved  upon 
his  tomb.  Under  the  figure  the  following  epitaph  in  Latin,  composed,  it  is 
said,  by  the  pope  himself,  records  the  virtues  of  the  holy  monk: 

GIVE  ME  NOT  PRAISE  FOR  BEING  ALMOST  A  SECOND  APELLES, 

BUT  BECAUSE  I  GAVE  TO  THY  POOR,  O  CHRIST,  ALL  MY  EARNINGS. 

THUS  PART  OF  MY  WORK  REMAINS  ON  EARTH  AND  PART  IN  HEAVEN. 

THAT    CITY    WHICH    IS    THE    FLOWER    OF    ETRURIA,    BORE    ME,    GIOVANNI. 

GIORGIO    VASARI  «LIVES    OF    THE    PAINTERS' 

FRA  ANGELICO  was  a  man  of  the  utmost  simplicity  of  intention,  and 
was  most  holy  in  every  act  of  his  life.  It  is  related  of  him — and  it  is  a 
good  evidence  of  his  simple  earnestness  of  purpose — that  being  one  morn- 
ing invited  to  breakfast  by  Pope  Nicholas  v.,  he  had  scruples  of  conscience 
as  to  eating  meat  without  the  permission  of  his  prior,  not  considering  that 
the  authority  of  the  pontiff  was  superseding  that  of  the  prior.  He  disregarded 
all  earthly  advantages,  and,  living  in  pure  holiness,  was  as  much  the  friend 
of  the  poor  in  life  as  I  believe  his  soul  now  is  in  heaven.  He  labored  con- 
tinually at  his  paintings,  but  would  do  nothing  that  was  not  connected  with 
things  holy.  He  might  have  been  rich,  but  of  riches  he  took  no  care;  on  the 
contrary,  he  was  accustomed  to  say  that  the  only  true  riches  was  contentment 
with  Httle.  He  might  have  commanded  many,  but  would  not  do  so,  declar- 
ing that  there  was  less  fatigue  and  less  danger  of  error  in  obeying  others  than 

[68] 


FRAANGELICO  27 

in  commanding  others.  It  was  at  his  option  to  hold  places  of  dignity  in  the 
brotherhood  of  his  order,  and  also  in  the  world;  but  he  regarded  them  not, 
affirming  that  he  sought  no  dignity  and  took  no  care  but  that  of  escaping  hell 
and  drawing  near  to  Paradise. 

Fra  Giovanni  was  kindly  to  all,  and  moderate  in  all  his  habits,  living  tem- 
perately, and  holding  himself  entirely  apart  from  the  snares  of  the  world.  He 
used  frequently  to  say  that  he  who  practised  the  art  of  painting  had  need  of 
quiet,  and  should  live  without  cares  or  anxious  thoughts;  adding  that  he  who 
would  do  the  work  of  Christ  should  perpetually  remain  with  Christ.  He  was 
never  seen  to  display  anger  among  the  brethren  of  his  order — a  thing  which 
appears  to  me  most  extraordinary,  nay,  almost  incredible;  if  he  admonished 
his  friends,  it  was  with  gentleness  and  a  quiet  smile;  and  to  those  who  sought 
his  works  he  would  reply,  with  the  utmost  cordiality,  that  they  had  but  to  ob- 
tain the  assent  of  the  prior,  when  he  would  assuredly  not  fail  to  do  what  they 
desired.  In  fine,  this  never  sufficiently  to  be  lauded  father  was  most  humble, 
modest,  and  excellent  in  all  his  words  and  works;  in  his  painting  he  gave 
evidence  of  piety  and  devotion  as  well  as  of  ability,  and  the  saints  that  he 
painted  have  more  of  the  air  and  expression  of  sanctity  than  have  those  of 
any  other  master. 

It  was  the  custom  of  Fra  Giovanni  to  abstain  from  retouching  or  improv- 
ing any  painting  once  finished.  He  altered  nothing,  but  left  all  as  it  was  done 
the  first  time,  believing,  as  he  said,  that  such  was  the  will  of  God.  It  is  also 
affirmed  that  he  would  never  take  the  pencil  in  hand  until  he  had  first  offered 
a  prayer.  He  is  said  never  to  have  painted  a  Crucifix  without  tears  stream- 
ing from  his  eyes;  and  in  the  countenances  and  attitudes  of  his  figures  it  is 
easy  to  perceive  proof  of  his  sincerity,  his  goodness,  and  the  depth  of  his  de- 
votion to  the  religion  of  Christ. 


Cfje  art  of  jFra  angeltco 

LANGTON  DOUGLAS  'FRA  ANGELICC 

VASARI'S  description  of  Fra  Angelico  has  impressed  itself  upon  the  minds 
of  twelve  generations  of  his  readers.  As  to  whence  he  derived  it  there 
can  be  no  reasonable  doubt.  The  Piagnoni  (or  followers  of  Savonarola)  of 
San  Marco,  full  of  filial  piety,  cherished  all  stories  relating  to  that  saintly  triad, 
Fra  Angelico,  St.  Antoninus,  and  Savonarola.  Vasari  had  intimate  friends  at 
the  convent;  and  if  the  brothers  did  not  actually  write  the  greater  part  of  the 
account  of  Fra  Angelico,  they  at  least  succeeded  in  making  Vasari  adopt  their 
own  conception,  and  supplied  him  with  most  of  the  material  for  his  work. 
Being  aware  of  the  source  of  this  biography,  doubts  as  to  its  accuracy  can- 
not fail  to  enter  into  the  mind  of  the  historical  student  who  has  some  ac- 
quaintance with  the  Piagnone  literature  of  the  sixteenth  century,  for  he  knows 
well  that  Savonarola's  followers,  enthusiastic,  imaginative,  and  intensely  mys- 

[69] 


28  MASTERSINART 

tical,  not  only  inherited  their  master's  belief  in  miracles  and  portents,  but  had 
also  developed  the  myth-making  faculty  to  a  remarkable  degree. 

But  in  justice  to  all  who  helped  to  make  this  biography  of  the  friar,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  the  scientific  study  of  his  artistic  achievement,  and  research 
among  such  contemporary  records  as  are  likely  to  throw  light  upon  his  career, 
whilst  compelling  us  to  reject  as  fictitious  some  of  its  details,  confirm  on  the 
whole  the  traditional  story — so  far  as  it  goes.  Its  main  fault  lies  not  in  its 
inaccuracy,  but  in  its  inadequacy.  The  Dominicans,  Fra  Giovanni's  con- 
temporaries, who  fashioned  it  in  its  earliest  form,  saw  and  appreciated  their 
brother's  goodness,  his  humility,  his  quiet  charm  of  manner;  and  therefore 
the  account  which  they  gave  of  him  tells  us  a  great  deal  of  Fra  Angelico  the 
religious,  Fra  Angelico  the  Catholic  saint.  But  the  Dominican  painter  was 
not  merely  a  saint — a  saint  with  a  happy  knack  of  illustration.  He  was  above 
all  else  an  artist,  an  artist  to  his  very  finger-tips,  who  carried  about  in  one 
body  two  temperaments  which  are  usually  supposed  to  have  but  little  in  com- 
mon, and  which  indeed  are  not  often  found  inhabiting  the  same  frame — the 
artistic  and  the  saintly.  But  he  was  primarily  an  artist,  an  artist  who  hap- 
pened to  be  a  saint. 

It  is  true  that  in  the  course  of  the  last  two  years  certain  of  the  younger 
critics  have  revolted  against  the  traditional  and  popular  conception  of  Fra 
Angelico.  But  their  change  of  opinion  has  scarcely  influenced  at  all  even 
those  who  have  some  right  to  be  considered  connoisseurs;  and  the  leaders  of 
criticism  in  England  and  in  France,  in  Germany  and  in  Italy,  still  maintain, 
with  but  one  or  two  exceptions,  that  the  friar  was  "an  isolated  and  belated 
master" — that  he  belonged  rather  to  the  fourteenth  than  to  the  fifteenth, 
century.   .  .   . 

Fra  Angelico  as  an  artist,  then,  has  never  received  fair  and  adequate  treat- 
ment, and  it  is  the  Piagnone  conception  of  him,  inadequate  as  it  is,  which 
still  holds  the  field.  And,  unfortunately,  the  manufacturers  of  reproductions 
of  the  works  of  the  Italian  masters  would  seem  to  have  conspired  with  pop- 
ular writers  to  keep  alive  a  derogatory  view  of  Fra  Angelico's  art.  Every  great 
artist  has  his  moments  of  weakness,  and  the  Dominican  painter  was  certainly 
not  without  them.  But  he  is  perhaps  the  only  master  of  his  own  rank  of  whom 
it  is  true  that  the  feeblest  of  all  his  productions  are  those  by  which  he  is  most 
widely  known.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  in  the  case  of  nine  persons  out 
of  every  ten  who  have  any  knowledge  of  him,  the  angels  playing  on  musical" 
instruments  which  adorn  the  frame  of  the  'Madonna  dei  Linajuoli'  are  sym- 
bols of  his  artistic  achievement.  But  these  figures,  which  hold  so  high  a  place 
in  popular  estimation,  are  artistically  contemptible.  They  deserve,  in  fact, 
all  that  daring  critics  have  said  about  them :  they  are  nothing  more  than 
"celestial  dolls,  flat  as  paper,  stuck  fast  to  their  gold  backgrounds."  To  any- 
one who  knows  how  consummate  was  Fra  Angelico's  power  of  rendering 
form  when  he  was  at  his  best,  it  is  surprising  that  even  in  a  moment  of  weak- 
ness he  should  have  given  to  the  world  such  inferior  stuff  as  this.  Those  who 
love  and  reverence  the  artist  would  like  to  lose  all  recollection  of  them,  just 
as  they  would  wish  to  bury  in  oblivion  the  early,  brief  indiscretions  of  one 

[70] 


FRA    ANGELICO  29 

whose  subsequent  life  has  been  of  such  a  character  as  to  command  theiraffec- 
tion  and  admiration.  But  it  is  just  these  figures,  in  all  their  inane  prettiness, 
that  the  public  have  chosen  to  regard  as  Fra  Angelico's  most  characteristic 
works — symbols  of  his  artistic  virtues.   .   .   . 

And,  moreover,  those  who,  in  contemplating  Fra  Angelico's  pictures,  seek 
for  confirmation  of  the  traditional  view  of  him  find  it;  for,  in  a  measure,  it 
is  there.  In  his  effort  to  give  material  form  to  the  most  sublime  mystical 
visions  that  have  ever  filled  the  minds  of  men  he  has  succeeded  to  a  degree 
that  many  of  his  admirers  are  quite  incapable  of  appreciating.  Finding  in  the 
master's  work,  then,  what  our  pride  of  opinion  makes  us  desire  to  find,  we 
cannot  see  anything  else.  The  painter's  artistic  personality  as  a  whole  re- 
mains quite  unrevealed  to  us.  Nay!  even  at  the  Vatican  itself,  in  that  chapel 
of  Pope  Nicholas  on  the  walls  of  which  Fra  Angelico  showed  most  plainly  that 
he  was  entirely  a  child  of  the  early  Renaissance,  the  scales  do  not  fall  from 
our  eyes;  for  here  temporary  circumstances  as  a  rule  conspire  with  our  prej- 
udices to  rob  us  of  enlightenment. 

Owing,  then,  to  a  variety  of  causes,  the  Piagnone  view  of  Fra  Angelico 
still  holds  the  field.  It  is  shared  by  people  holding  the  most  diverse  opinions. 
On  the  one  side  are  those  who  inwardly  despise  "this  mild,  meek,  angelic 
monk,  who,"  as  they  say,  "bolted  his  monastery  doors,  and  sprinkled  holy- 
water  in  the  face  of  the  antique."  On  the  other  side  is  a  great  company  of 
persons,  both  Catholic  and  Protestant,  who  love  Fra  Angelico  because  of  his 
saintliness.  These  are  prejudiced  in  his  favor  because  he  was  a  devout  and 
earnest  Christian.  Those  are  prejudiced  against  him  for  the  same  reason.  In 
each  case  theological  or  anti-theological  prejudices  are  allowed  to  modify  the 
judgment  formed  of  his  merit  as  an  artist,  and  no  serious  attempt  is  made  to 
see  his  achievement  as  a  whole  "as  in  itself  it  really  is."   .   .   . 

In  tracing  the  story  of  Fra  Angelico's  artistic  development  from  its  com- 
mencement to  its  close,  we  see  him  largely  influenced  at  first  by  the  Giot- 
tesques  and  the  miniaturists.  Gradually  he  rid  himself  of  the  cramping  effects 
of  his  early  training,  and  became  more  and  more  identified  with  that  new 
movement  in  art  which  had  begun  with  the  architects  and  sculptors,  and  had 
had  for  its  first  pioneer  in  painting  the  great  Masaccio.  Fra  Angelico's  de- 
velopment was  constant,  at  one  time  accelerated  a  little,  at  another  more  grad- 
ual, but  without  backslidings  or  reactions. 

There  are  certain  great  artistic  qualities  which  are  to  be  found  in  abun- 
dance in  his  earliest  paintings  as  in  his  latest:  exquisite  grace  of  line,  the  charm 
of  bright,  harmonious  color,  and  singular  beauty  of  facial  expression.  But  as 
time  went  on,  and  the  friar  continued  to  grow  in  power  and  knowledge,  other 
great  qualities  became  more  manifest  in  his  works,  and  at  the  same  time  we 
find  in  them  no  loss  of  grace  and  loveliness.  The  development  of  these  qual- 
ities was  due  in  a  measure  to  Fra  Angelico's  ever-increasing  love  of  classical 
art,  to  his  observation  of  nature,  to  his  study  of  the  works  of  his  great  con- 
temporaries in  sculpture,  and  of  the  frescos  of  Masaccio. 

He  was  an  eager  student  of  the  antique,  and  keenly  interested  in  the  new 
movement  in  architecture.    The  newly  revived  classical  forms — the  Ionic 

[71] 


30  MASTERS    IN    ART 

capital,  the  festoons  with  which  Michelozzo  adorned  his  friezes,  the  medal- 
lions copied  by  Brunelleschi  from  the  temple  of  Vesta  at  Tivoli,  and  many 
more  beside — found  a  place  in  his  paintings  almost  simultaneously  with  their 
appearance  in  the  sister  art.  He  was  always  abreast  of  the  movement.  He 
was  always  closely  associated  with  those  humanists  and  sculptors  who  were 
the  leaders  of  the  early  Renaissance.  And  as  he  was  the  first  of  the  painters 
systematically  to  make  pictorial  use  of  classical  forms,  so  there  are  more  rep- 
resentations of  them  to  be  found  in  his  works  than  in  all  the  other  pictures 
of  the  first  half  of  the  fifteenth  century  taken  together.  He  was,  moreover, 
the  first  Italian  artist  of  the  Renaissance  to  represent  from  nature  a  landscape 
that  can  be  identified,  as  he  was  also  the  first  to  attempt  to  solve  certain  prob- 
lems of  aerial  perspective.  He  shows  a  feeling  for  space  unrivaled  in  his  own 
day,  and  surpassed  indeed  by  but  few  of  the  Florentines  who  came  after 
him.   .   .   . 

To  say,  as  some  do,  that  Fra  Angelico  was  sometimes  more  interested  in 
the  matter  of  his  theme  than  in  its  representation  is  only  to  say  what  is  true 
of  every  great  Florentine  painter  of  the  Renaissance.  In  Venice  there  was 
a  love  of  painting  for  its  own  sake.  It  was  not  so  in  Florence.  The  great 
Florentines,  as  has  been  so  often  remarked,  were,  each  and  all,  so  much  more 
than  painters!  They  were  sculptors ;  they  were  poets.  Nay,  more !  they  were 
men  of  science,  theologians,  archaeologists,  and  humanists;  and  at  times  in 
every  one  of  them  the  desire  to  record  mere  facts  of  the  natural  world,  or  to 
teach  some  theological  or  philosophical  dogma,  predominated  over  all  purely 
artistic  impulses.  Unfortunately,  in  the  best  of  them  there  is  a  tendency  to 
illustration. 

This  tendency,  therefore,  would  not  of  itself  disqualify  Fra  Angelico  from 
taking  rank  amongst  the  great  leaders  of  the  Florentine  Renaissance.  But  in 
reality  he  is  very  little  guilty  of  any  such  failing.  The  artist  and  the  saint  in 
him  worked  in  such  perfect  harmony  that  we  are  rarely  conscious  of  any  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  latter  to  dominate  the  former.  And  it  is  in  this  fact  that 
one  of  the  greatest  secrets  of  his  success  lies.  He  painted  the  kind  of  subjects 
that  he  liked  best  to  paint.  Pictures  with  religious  subjects  were  required  of 
him,  and  religious  subjects  were  just  those  that  he  was  longing  to  paint.  And 
so  innate,  so  essential  a  part  of  him  were  his  artistic  qualities  that  the  fervor 
of  his  religious  emotion  scarcely  ever  marred  the  decorative  character  of  his 
work.  In  him,  as  I  have  said,  the  artist  and  the  saint,  the  devout  Catholic 
and  the  man  of  the  Renaissance,  were  in  perfect  harmony.  Living  in  that 
wonderful  age  of  the  early  Renaissance,  he  was  one  of  its  most  characteristic 
products. 

TRACING  the  history  of  Italian  painting  is  like  pursuing  a  journey  down 
an  ever-broadening  river,  whose  affluents  are  Giotto  and  Masaccio, 
Ghirlandajo,  Signorelli,  and  Mantegna.  We  have  to  turn  aside  and  land  upon 
the  shore  in  order  to  visit  the  heaven-reflecting  lakelet,  self-encompassed  and 
secluded,  called  Angelico. — john  addington  symonds 

[72] 


FRA    ANGELICO  31 

E.H.ANDE.W.  BLASHFIELDAND    A.  A.  HOPKINS,  EDITORS  <VASARI'SLIVES' 

WHEN  we  examine  the  works  of  Fra  Angelico's  first  period,  we  see  in 
him  the  pupil  of  the  miniaturists.  His  color  is  that  of  the  illuminator 
of  missals  and  choir-books,  his  'Madonna'  of  the  Uffizi  is  an  enlarged  min- 
iature, and  the  angels  which  are  so  greatly  admired  in  his  'Last  Judgment' 
and  his  'Paradise'  are  celestial  dolls,  thin  as  paper,  and  stuck  fast  to  their  gold 
backgrounds.  In  this  early  time  the  painter's  skill  in  modeling  and  drawing 
is  in  the  inverse  ratio  to  the  size  of  his  canvas,  another  proof  that  he  cannot 
forget  the  miniature;  but  it  is  only  the  limitations  of  his  skill  in  drawing  and 
modeling  which  require  a  small  surface;  his  sentiment  of  composition  is  large 
and  noble,  and  some  of  his  panels,  now  in  the  Academy  in  Florence,  taken 
from  the  doors  of  a  press  formerly  in  the  Annunziata,  panels  which  are  but  a 
foot  square — see  notably  'The  Flight  into  Egypt'  —  might  be  enlarged  to  co- 
lossal size  and  worthily  decorate  a  church  wall.  As  for  the  sentiment  of  beauty, 
even  the  paper-doll  angels  have  so  much  of  it  that  Michelangelo,  that  lover  of 
muscular  construction  and  heroic  nudity,  said  of  them,  "Surely  the  good  monk 
visited  Paradise  and  was  allowed  to  choose  his  models  there." 

In  the  later  life  of  Fra  Angelico  we  have,  in  his  'Crucifixion'  in  San  Marco, 
his  fresco  at  Orvieto,  and  his  cycle  in  the  Chapel  of  Nicholas  v.  in  the  Vat- 
ican, the  work  of  a  painter  who,  without  for  a  moment  losing  his  religious 
conviction,  without  feeling  his  subject  any  less  poignantly,  has  profited  by  the 
realistic  study  of  his  contemporaries,  and  who  draws  and  models  with  a  skill 
which  is  a  whole  lifetime  removed  from  his  little  angelic  musicians  or  his 
dancing  figures  in  the  'Paradise'  of  the  Florence  Academy.  .   .   . 

The  tenderness  of  the  Gospel,  the  divine  yearning  of  the  'Imitation  of 
Christ,'  the  naive  sweetness  of  the  'Fioretti'  of  St.  Francis,  the  childlike  sim- 
plicity of  the  'Golden  Legend,'  found  pictorial  expression  in  Angelico's  work. 
As  the  study  of  the  nude  body  was  forbidden  to  a  monk,  he  concentrated  all 
his  feeling  for  physical  beauty,  all  his  capacity  for  dramatic  expression,  on  the 
faces  of  his  saints  and  angels,  and  became  a  unique  exponent  of  religious  sen- 
timent. To  the  churchman's  love  of  minute  and  elaborate  ornament  appHed 
to  holy  things  he  united  the  aspirations  of  the  devout  soul  toward  perfection, 
and  added  to  the  achievements  of  the  Giottesques  beauty,  distinction,  and  emo- 
tion. Though  without  doubt  his  chief  glory  is  a  fervor  of  conviction  which 
passes  beyond  and  above  all  technique,  yet  in  technique  also  he  sets  a  worthy 
example;  and  he  owes  to  his  composition,  as  well  as  to  his  conviction,  the 
fact  that  he  charms  at  once  the  ignorant,  the  devotee,  the  dilettante,  and  the 
trained  artist.  To  the  art  student  who  is  occupied  with  problems  of  construc- 
tion and  relief,  Angelico's  lack  of  the  latter  and  indifference  to  the  former  are 
somewhat  shocking;  but  to  the  matured  artist  comes  a  growing  conscious- 
ness that  the  simply  and  admirably  composed  little  scenes  from  the  life  of 
Christ,  in  the  Florentine  Academy,  with  their  flat  masses  of  brilliant  color, 
are  a  never-ending  source  of  delight  to  the  eye,  and  that  he  may  sooner  tire 
of  the  great  technical  achievements  of  the  Renaissance  than  of  these  perfectly 
decorative  little  panels.  Add  to  the  effect  of  the  latter  the  growth  of  art- 
knowledge  shown  by  Fra  Angelico  in  his  frescos  in  the  Chapel  of  Nicholas  v. 

[73] 


32  MASTERS    IN    ART 

in  the  Vatican  (frescos  which,  in  their  juxtaposition  to  the  stanze  of  Raphael* 
are  hlce  the  full  chant  of  the  medieval  church  beside  the  chorded  melodies  of 
Palestrina);  add  to  these  again  the  fresco  of  Orvieto;  lastly,  consider  the  very 
early  epoch  of  Fra  Angelico,  and  that  he  was  well  known  even  before  Ma- 
saccio  began  the  frescos  of  the  Brancacci  Chapel  in  the  Church  of  the  Carmine, 
and  it  must  be  admitted  that  here,  in  spite  of  his  self-imposed  limitations,  was 
one  of  the  greatest  masters  of  the  Renaissance. 

THOUGH  Fra  Angelico  completed  the  cycle  of  purely  supernatural  art, 
he  also  led  the  way  to  that  wonderful  fusion  of  the  supernatural  and  the 
natural  in  which  Italian  art  culminated  a  century  later.  He  was  the  last  dis- 
ciple of  Giotto,  the  first  harbinger  of  Raphael. — cosmo  monkhouse 

H.    TAINE  'VOYAGE    EN    ITALIE:    FLORENCE    ET    VENISE* 

IN  the  midst  of  all  the  commotion  and  travail  of  the  fifteenth  century  in 
p'lorence  there  stood  a  tranquil  convent  wherein  dreamed,  sweetly  and 
piously,  a  mystic  of  ancient  days,  Fra  Angelico  da  Fiesole.   ... 

Nothing  disturbed  him  in  his  peaceful  contemplation.  Around  him  all  ac- 
tions were  prescribed  and  all  objects  colorless;  day  after  day  regular  hours 
brought  before  him  the  same  white  walls,  the  same  dark  luster  of  the  wains- 
coting, the  same  straight  folds  of  cowls  and  frocks,  the  same  rustling  of  steps 
passing  to  and  fro  between  refectory  and  chapel.  Delicate,  indeterminate 
sensations  arise  vaguely  in  such  monotony,  while  tender  reverie,  like  a  rose 
sheltered  from  life's  rude  blasts,  blooms  afar  from  the  great  highway  clatter- 
ing with  human  footsteps. 

But  the  splendor  of  eternal  day  was  disclosed  to  Fra  Angelico's  eyes,  and 
henceforth  every  effort  of  the  painter  centered  upon  expressing  it.  Glittering 
staircases  of  jasper  and  amethyst  lead  up  to  the  throne  on  which  celestial  beings 
are  seated.  Golden  aureoles  gleam  around  their  brows;  red,  azure,  and  green 
robes,  fringed,  bordered,  and  striped  with  gold,  flash  like  glories.  Gold  runs 
in  threads  over  baldachins,  enriches  embroideries  on  copes,  radiates  like  stars 
on  tunics,  and  gleams  from  diadems;  while  topazes,  rubies,  and  diamonds 
sparkle  in  flaming  constellations  on  jeweled  crowns.  All  is  light;  it  is  the 
outburst  of  mystic  illumination.  Through  this  prodigality  of  gold  and  azure 
one  tint  prevails,  that  of  the  sun  and  of  paradise.  This  is  not  common  day- 
light; it  is  too  brilliant;  it  effaces  the  brightest  hues,  completely  envelops  all 
the  forms  and  reduces  them  to  mere  shadows.  In  fact,  the  soul  is  everything; 
ponderable  matter  becomes  transfigured;  its  relief  is  no  longer  perceptible,  its 
substance  having  evaporated;  nothing  remains  but  an  ethereal  form  which 
swims  in  azure  and  in  splendor.  At  other  times  the  blessed  approach  paradise 
over  luxuriant  meadows  strewn  with  red  and  white  flowers,  and  under  beautiful 
blooming  trees;  angels  conduct  them,  and,  hand  in  hand,  they  lovingly  form 
a  circle;  the  burden  of  the  flesh  no  longer  oppresses  them;  their  heads  starred 
with  rays,  they  glide  through  the  air  up  to  the  flaming  gate  from  which  a 
golden  illumination  issues.  Christ,  on  high,  within  a  triple  row  of  angels 
pressed  together  like  flowers,  smiles  upon  them  beneath  his  aureole. 

[74] 


FRA    ANGELICO  33 

Fra  Angelico's  personages  are  worthy  of  their  situation.  Although  beau- 
tiful and  ideal,  his  Christ,  even  in  celestial  triumph,  is  pale,  pensive,  and 
slightly  emaciated;  he  is  the  eternal  friend,  the  somewhat  melancholy  consoler 
of  the  'Imitation  of  Christ,'  the  poetic,  merciful  Lord  which  the  saddened 
heart  imagines,  and  not  the  over  healthy  figure  of  the  Renaissance  painters.  At 
the  day  of  judgment  he  does  not  condemn;  his  countenance  is  turned  toward 
the  blessed,  toward  those  whom  he  loves.  Near  him  the  Virgin,  kneeling  with 
downcast  eyes,  seems  like  a  young  maiden  who  has  just  communed.  Under 
the  long  blue  gold-embroidered  mantle  in  which  she  is  enveloped  her  form  is 
scarcely  defined.  No  one  can  imagine,  till  he  has  seen  it,  such  immaculate 
modesty,  such  virginal  candor;  Raphael's  virgins  compared  with  her  are  merely 
simple,  vigorous  peasant  girls.  Fra  Angelico's  other  figures  are  of  the  same 
order.  Every  expression  is  based  on  two  sentiments  —  the  innocence  of  the 
calm  spirit  preserved  in  the  cloister,  and  the  rapture  of  the  blessed  spirit  that 
sees  God.  There  are  no  violent  or  eager  emotions  in  this  world  that  he  paints; 
all  is  partially  veiled,  or  arrested  midway  by  the  tranquillity  or  the  obedience 
of  the  cloister. 

But  the  most  charming  of  Angelico's  figures  are  the  angels.  We  see  them 
kneeling  in  silent  rows  around  heavenly  thrones,  or  pressing  together  in  gar- 
lands in  the  azure.  The  youngest  among  them  are  sweet,  lovable  children, 
with  minds  unruffled  by  a  suspicion  of  evil;  they  do  not  think  deeply;  each 
head,  in  its  golden  circle,  smiles  and  is  happy;  it  will  smile  forever,  and  this 
is  its  entire  life.  Others,  with  flamboyant  wings  like  birds  of  paradise,  play 
on  musical  instruments  or  sing,  and  their  faces  are  radiant.  One  of  them, 
raising  his  trumpet  to  his  lips,  stops  as  if  surprised  by  a  resplendent  vision. 
Another  with  a  violoncello  to  his  shoulder  seems  to  muse  over  the  exquisite 
sound  of  his  own  instrument.  Two  others  with  joined  hands  seem  to  be  con- 
templating and  adoring. 

To  the  harmony  of  tones  is  added  the  harmony  of  colors.  Tints  are  not 
increased  or  decreased  nor  intermingled  as  in  ordinary  painting.  Each  vest- 
ment is  of  one  color;  red  contrasted  with  blue,  bright  green  with  pale  pur- 
ple, gold  embroidery  placed  on  dark  amaranth,  like  the  simple,  sustained 
strains  of  an  angelic  melody.  The  painter  delights  in  this;  he  cannot  find 
colors  for  his  saints  pure  enough  or  ornaments  sufficiently  precious.  He 
forgets  that  his  figures  are  images;  he  bestows  the  faithful  care  of  a  be- 
liever, of  a  worshiper,  upon  them;  he  embroiders  their  robes  as  if  they  were 
real;  he  covers  their  mantles  with  filigree  as  fine  as  the  finest  work  of  the 
goldsmith;  he  paints  complete  little  pictures  on  their  copes;  he  delicately 
unfolds  their  beautiful  light  tresses,  arranges  their  curls,  adjusts  the  folds  of 
their  tunics,  carefully  defines  the  round,  monastic  tonsures  on  their  heads;  he 
even  follows  them  into  heaven  that  he  may  love  and  serve  them  there. — 

ABRIDGED  FROM  THE  FRENCH 

TO  Fra  Angelico  belongs  the  glory  of  fixing,  in  a  series  of  imperishable 
visions,  the  religious  ideal  of  the  Middle  Ages,  just  at  the  moment  when 
it  was  about  to  disappear  forever. — georges  lafenestre 

[75] 


34  MASTERS    IN    ART 

I.    B.    SUPINO  •   <FRA    ANGELICO* 

TRADITION  shows  us  Fra  Angelico  absorbed  in  his  work,  and  either 
caressing  with  his  brush  one  of  those  graceful  angelic  figures  which  have 
made  him  immortal,  or  reverently  outlining  the  sweet  image  of  the  Virgin 
before  which  he  himself  would  kneel  in  adoration.  Legend  pictures  him  de- 
voutly prostrate  in  prayer  before  beginning  work,  that  his  soul  might  be  puri- 
fied, and  fitted  to  understand  and  render  the  divine  subject.  But  has  tradition 
any  foundation  in  fact?  Why  not?  Through  his  numberless  works  we  may 
easily  divine  the  soul  of  the  artist,  and  can  well  understand  how  the  calm  and 
serene  atmosphere  of  the  monastic  cell,  the  church  perfumed  with  incense, 
the  cloister  vibrating  with  psalms,  would  develop  the  mystic  sentiment  in  such 
a  mind. 

Among  all  the  masters  who  have  attempted  to  imbue  the  human  form  with 
the  divine  spirit,  Fra  Angelico  is  perhaps  the  only  one  who  succeeded  in  pro- 
ducing purely  celestial  figures,  and  this  with  such  marvelous  simplicity  of  line 
that  they  have  become  the  glory  of  his  art.  He  put  into  his  work  the  flame 
of  an  overpowering  passion;  under  his  touch  features  were  beautified  and  fig- 
ures animated  with  a  new  mystic  grace.  His  forms  are  often,  it  is  true,  con- 
ventional, and  there  is  a  certain  sameness  in  his  heads,  with  their  large  oval 
countenances;  his  small  eyes,  outlined  around  the  upper  arch  of  the  eyebrow, 
with  black  spots  for  pupils,  sometimes  lack  expression;  his  mouths  are  always 
drawn  small,  with  a  thickening  of  the  lips  in  the  center,  and  the  corners 
strongly  accentuated;  the  color  of  his  faces  is  either  too  pink  or  too  yellow; 
the  folds  of  his  robes  (often  independent  of  the  figure,  especially  in  the  lower 
part)  fall  straight,  and,  in  the  representations  of  the  seated  Virgin,  expand  on 
the  ground  as  if  to  form  the  foot  of  a  chalice.  But  in  his  frescos  these  faults 
of  conventional  manner  almost  entirely  disappear,  giving  place  to  freer  draw- 
ing, more  lifelike  expression,  and  a  character  of  greater  power. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Fra  Angelico  felt  the  beneficent  influx  of  the  new 
style,  of  which  Masaccio  was  the  greatest  champion,  and  that  he  followed  it, 
abandoning,  up  to  a  certain  point,  the  primitive  Giottesque  forms.  There  is 
in  his  art  the  great  medieval  ideal,  rejuvenated  and  reinvigorated  by  the  spirit 
of  newer  times.  Being  in  the  beginning  of  his  career,  as  is  generally  believed, 
only  an  illuminator,  he  continued,  with  subtle  delicacy,  and  accurate,  almost 
timid  design,  to  illuminate  in  larger  proportions  on  his  panels.  But  in  his 
later  works,  while  still  preserving  the  simplicity  of  handling  and  the  innate 
character  of  his  style,  he  displays  a  new  tendency,  and  learns  to  give  life  to  . 
his  figures,  not  only  by  the  expression  of  purity  and  sweet  ecstasy,  but  in 
finer  particularization  of  form  and  action. 

His  clear  diaphanous  transparency  of  coloring  is  not  used  from  lack  of 
technical  ability,  but  to  approach  more  nearly  to  his  ideal  of  celestial  visions 
—  a  species  of  pictorial  religious  symbolism.  In  the  midst  of  his  calm  and 
serene  compositions  Fra  Angelico  gives  us  figures  in  which  a  healthy  realism 
is  strongly  accentuated;  figures  drawn  with  decision,  strong  chiaroscuro,  and 
robust  coloring,  which  show  that  he  did  not  deliberately  disdain  the  progress 
made  in  art  by  his  contemporaries.    Indeed  we  should  err  in  believing  that 

[-6] 


FRA    ANGELICO  35 

he  was  unwilling  to  recognize  the  artistic  developments  going  on  around  him; 
but  he  profited  by  the  movement  only  as  far  as  he  deemed  possible  without 
losing  his  own  sentiment  and  character.  Perhaps  he  divined  that  if  he  had 
followed  the  new  current  too  closely  it  would  have  carried  him  farther  than 
he  wished  to  go;  that  the  new  manner  would  have  removed  him  forever  from 
his  ideal — in  a  word,  that  too  intense  study  of  the  real  would  have  dimin- 
ished or  entirely  impeded  fantasy  and  feeling,  and  therefore  kept  himself  con- 
stant to  his  old  style,  and  while  perfecting  himself  in  it,  still  remained  what 
he  always  had  been,  and  what  he  felt  he  should  be. — from  the  Italian  by 

LEADER  SCOTT 

WHILE  the  artists  about  him  were  absorbed  in  mastering  the  laws  of 
geometry  and  anatomy,  Fra  Angelico  sought  to  express  the  inner  life 
of  the  adoring  soul.  The  message  that  his  pictures  convey  might  have  been 
told  almost  as  perfectly  upon  the  lute  or  viol.  His  world  is  a  strange  one — 
a  world  not  of  hills  and  fields  and  flowers  and  men  of  flesh  and  blood,  but 
one  where  the  people  are  embodied  ecstasies,  the  colors  tints  from  evening 
clouds  or  apocalyptic  jewels,  the  scenery  a  flood  of  light  or  a  background  of 
illuminated  gold.  His  mystic  gardens,  where  the  ransomed  souls  embrace,  and 
dance  with  angels  on  the  lawns  outside  the  City  of  the  Lamb,  are  such  as 
were  never  trodden  by  the  foot  of  man  in  any  paradise  of  earth. — john 

ADDINGTON  SYMONDS 

G.    C.   W^ILLIAMSON  'FRA    ANGELICO* 

FRA  ANGELICO  was  a  man  of  intense  religion,  of  great  sweetness  of 
mind,  and  of  exceeding  fervor.  His  aim  was  to  paint  the  scenes  of  the 
gospel  story  with  all  his  heart  and  with  all  his  mind,  but  he  never  forgot 
that  they  were  to  be  done  also  with  all  his  skill.  He  was  intensely  moved  by 
them,  felt  the  truth  of  all  their  story,  and  wished  to  carry  the  thoughts  of  those 
who  looked  at  his  works  up  to  a  higher  level  and  to  cause  them  to  see  things 
spiritual;  but  withal  he  was  so  thoroughly  an  artist  that  his  eyes  were  wide 
open  upon  the  world,  and  he  was  able  to  absorb  its  color,  its  scenes  of  pag- 
eantry, its  life,  its  movement,  and  its  accessories,  and  to  use  all  in  his  pic- 
tures.  .   .   . 

The  quality  of  etherealization,  of  spirituality,  upon  which  so  many  writers 
have  laid  stress,  must  equally  not  be  overlooked,  as  it  is  a  very  real  quality 
of  distinction.  Fra  Angelico  grasped,  as  but  few  artists  have  ever  grasped, 
the  quality  of  "vision."  He  steps  back  from  ordinary  mundane  things,  and 
takes  us  into  the  world  of  spiritual  beings. 

He  is  a  master  of  light,  and  sheds  it  around  his  visions  with  a  lustrous  white 
glow  that  is  very  marvelous.  His  eff'ects  are  produced  in  the  simplest  fashion ; 
the  colors  are  pure  and  clear,  there  are  but  few  figures  in  each  scene,  and 
these  are  simply  grouped,  and  there  is  an  entire  absence  in  these  spiritual 
visions  of  any  accessories  that  would  distract  attention  or  spoil  the  desired 
effect.  There  is  hardly  any  symbolism,  there  are  hardly  any  adjuncts  to  the 
story,  only  just  the  barest  elements  of  the  pictures  presented  with  an  intense 

[77] 


36  MASTERS    IN    ART 

and  overwhelming  directness.  Even  in  his  panel-pictures  there  is,  combined 
with  the  exuberance  of  richness  inseparable  from  the  trains  of  bright  angels 
that  are  introduced,  a  simplicity  about  the  central  scene  that  is  very  convincing. 

In  color,  Fra  Angelico  is  noted  for  his  love  of  the  pure  elemental  tints; 
of  clear,  sharp  blue,  of  exquisite  rose,  of  vivid  green,  of  gold,  and  of  pure, 
brilliant  white;  but  all  are  so  cunningly  combined  as  to  produce  a  harmony 
that  is  always  delightful.  He  loved  the  radiance  of  glowing  white,  and  was 
able  by  the  most  subtle  shading  to  intensify  its  brightness.  He  was  a  master 
of  the  methods  of  combining  true  fresco  with  what  is  called  fresco  secco,  or 
painting  on  a  dry,  hard  ground,  and  he  used  both  methods  in  the  same  work 
so  as  to  give  the  fullest  value  to  his  colors.  A  gold  background  was  his  favorite 
for  the  miniature-like  work  that  marked  his  earlier  productions,  but,  as  he 
grew  older,  he  relinquished  this  very  fine  treatment  and  drew  with  a  larger  and 
fuller  brush  in  strong,  powerful  fashion. 

His  draperies  are  often  stiff  and  conventional,  but  more  must  not  be  ex- 
pected of  him  in  that  respect  than  he  was  able  to  perform,  for  he  was,  be  it 
remembered,  a  fifteenth-century  painter,  a  man  of  ripe  intelligence  certainly, 
but  limited  by  the  knowledge  of  his  time.  He  was  a  great  artist,  however,  a 
humble,  earnest  worker,  and  withal  a  painter  who  loved  his  work,  gloried  in 
the  skill  that  had  been  given  him,  and,  while  placing  it  all  as  a  tribute  of  faith 
before  God,  yet  strove  that  the  gift  should  be  his  very  best,  and  should  lack 
nothing  for  want  of  care,  of  perseverance,  or  of  painstaking  anxiety. 


Cije  l^orfes  of  jFra  angelico 

DESCRIPTIONS    OF    THE    PLATES 
•THE    CORONATION    OF    THE    VIRGIN'  PLATE    I 

DURING  the  French  invasion  of  1812,  this  famous  picture,  then  in  the 
conventual  Church  of  San  Domenico  at  Fiesole,  was  taken  to  Paris, 
where  it  is  now  one  of  the  glories  of  the  Louvre.  The  miniature-like  qualities 
of  the  painting,  the  absence  of  shadows,  and  the  lavish  use  of  gold,  as  well  as 
the  Gothic  features  of  the  design,  mark  it  as  one  of  Fra  Angelico's  earlier 
achievements.    It  was  probably  executed  about  1425. 

"Time,"  writes  Theophile  Gautier,  "has  not  tarnished  the  ideal  freshness 
of  this  painting,  delicate  as  a  miniature  in  some  old  missal,  the  tints  of  which 
share  the  whiteness  of  the  lily,  the  roseate  hues  of  morning,  the  blue  of  the 
sky,  and  the  gold  of  the  stars.  Christ  is  seated  upon  a  throne  with  marble 
steps,  the  varied  colors  of  which  are  symbolic.  He  holds  a  crown  of  rich 
workmanship  above  the  head  of  the  Virgin,  who  kneels  before  him.  Around 
them  throng  a  choir  of  angels  playing  upon  musical  instruments.  Light  flames 
flutter  about  their  heads,  and  their  wings  palpitate  with  joy  at  this  glorious 
coronation,  which  is  to  transform  the  humble  handmaid  of  the  Lord  into  the 
Lady  of  Paradise. 

[78] 


FRAANGELICO  37 

"From  both  sides  of  the  throne  the  hosts  of  the  blessed  contemplate  the 
scene — apostles,  bishops,  and  founders  of  monastic  orders,  all  distinguished 
by  their  emblems.  A  charming  group  of  saints  of  celestial  grace  is  in  the  fore- 
ground: the  IcneelingMagdalenewithher  vase  of  ointment;  St.Ceciliacrowned 
with  roses;  St.  Clara  with  her  starry  veil;  St.  Catherine  of  Alexandria  leaning 
upon  the  wheel,  the  instrument  of  her  martyrdom;  and  St.  Agnes  with  a  white 
lamb  in  her  arms,  symbol  of  innocence  and  purity.  These  youthful  saints  are 
endowed  with  heavenly  beauty;  they  are  visible  souls  rather  than  bodies — 
thoughts  in  human  forms,  enveloped  in  chaste  draperies  of  white,  rose-color, 
and  blue,  embroidered  with  stars — clad  as  happy  spirits  might  be,  who  rejoice 
in  the  eternal  light  of  Paradise." 

•  DANCE  OF  THE  ANGELS'  FROM  <THE  LAST  JUDGMENT'  PLATE  II 

IN  Fra  Angelico's  'Last  Judgment,'  of  which  the  detail  known  as  'Paradise,' 
or 'The  Dance  of  the  Angels,'  is  here  reproduced,  Christ  is  represented 
seated  on  high  surrounded  by  cherubim  and  seraphim.  Saints  and  apostles  are 
on  either  side,  and  in  the  center  below  is  a  cemetery  with  open  graves,  on 
one  side  of  which  are  the  figures  of  the  damned  whom  devils  thrust  down 
to  hell,  and  beyond,  the  seven  circles  of  Dante's  'Inferno.'  On  the  other  side 
of  the  graves  throng  the  blessed,  welcomed  by  angels  who  lead  them  towards 
the  heavenly  city.  Here  in  a  green  and  flower-strewn  meadow,  illumined  by 
a  celestial  light  which  streams  from  the  open  portals  of  Paradise,  the  '  Dance 
of  the  Angels'  takes  place. 

"The  garments  of  these  blessed  beings  glisten  with  innumerable  golden 
stars;"  writes  Padre  Marchese,  "their  heads  are  wreathed  with  garlands  of 
red  and  white  roses,  and  a  brilliant  flame  burns  on  the  forehead  of  each. 
Light,  airy,  graceful,  and,  even  while  dancing,  absorbed  in  ecstatic  contem- 
plation, they  advance  toward  the  celestial  city  caroling  and  singing,  and  the 
nearer  they  approach  the  more  ethereal  and  luminous  do  their  bodies  become, 
until  at  last,  arrived  at  the  holy  gates,  they  are  transformed  into  most  subtle 
and  resplendent  spirits,  and,  two  by  two,  holding  each  other's  hands,  enter 
into  eternal  bliss." 

'The  Last  Judgment,'  an  early  work  painted  by  Fra  Angelico  for  the  Con- 
vent of  Santa  Maria  degli  Angeli,  is  now  in  the  Florence  Academy. 

ANGELS    FROM    THE    FRAME    OF    THE    'MADONNA    DEI    LINAJUOLI*  PLATE    III 

THE  two  angels  here  reproduced  (too  widely  popular  to  be  omitted  from 
any  treatise  on  Fra  Angelico)  are  from  the  frame  of  the  well-known 
'Madonna  dei  Linajuoli,'  a  large  altar-piece  painted  in  1433  for  the  Gild  of 
Flax-workers,  or  "linajuoli,"  and  now  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery,  Florence.  A 
'Madonna  and  Child,'  enthroned  and  over  life-size,  occupy  the  central  panel 
of  this  picture,  under  which  is  a  predella  in  three  parts.  Figures  of  saints  are 
painted  on  both  sides  of  the  doors. 

This  famous  altar-piece  is  one  of  the  least  pleasing  of  Fra  Angelico's  works. 
But  of  all  the  artist's  creations,  the  most  popular,  the  most  widely  known, 

[79] 


38  MASTERSINART 

and,  unfortunately,  generally  considered  as  most  typical  of  his  art,  are  the 
twelve  angels  playing  on  musical  instruments  which  adorn  the  beveled  border 
of  its  central  panel.  "Though  graceful  in  form,  pleasant  in  color,  and  cer- 
tainly charming  to  look  at,"  writes  Dr.  Williamson,  "these  angels  are  quite 
unworthy  of  being  considered  representative  of  the  work  of  an  artist  who 
was  capable  of  painting  the  frescos  of  San  Marco,  and  it  is  unfair  to  judge 
Fra  Angelico  by  them.  As  a  recent  writer  has  said,  'What  great  painter  be- 
fore or  since  has  ever  been  judged  by  his  picture-frames?'  and  these  angels  are 
nothing  more  than  the  flat  decorations  of  the  frame  of  the  altar-piece,  painted 
in  soft  colors  on  a  gold  ground."  But  weak  and  doll-like  as  these  angel  figures 
are,  there  is  something  about  them  which  has  captivated  the  fancy  of  the  pub- 
lic, and  evoked  the  extravagant  praise  of  the  greater  number  of  the  artist's 
biographers. 

<THE     MADONNA    OF    PERUGIA'  PLATE    IV 

THIS  picture,  the  central  panel  of  a  great  altar-piece  in  many  parts  which 
was  painted  for  the  Church  of  San  Domenico  at  Perugia,  is  now  in  the 
Pinacoteca,  or  picture-gallery  of  that  city.  It  was  probably  painted  between 
1433  and  1437,  during  Fra  Angelico's  sojourn  at  Fiesole — a  transition  pe- 
riod in  his  career  when  he  began  to  be  affected  by  the  great  art  movement  of 
his  time,  to  emancipate  himself  by  degrees  from  the  cramping  influence  of 
the  miniaturists,  and  to  acquire  greater  freedom  of  style. 

In  the  'Madonna  of  Perugia'  he  shows  not  only  a  fuller  understanding  of 
the  human  form  than  in  his  earlier  works,  but  a  truer  conception  of  the  rela- 
tion that  exists  between  mother  and  child.  The  Madonna,  seated  under  a 
Renaissance  canopy,  looks  with  tender  and  motherly  solicitude  upon  her 
Son,  who,  no  longer  the  stiff*,  doll-like  little  figure  of  early  Italian  art,  but  "a 
real  child,  with  rounded  limbs  and  sweet  infantile  expression,"  stands  upon  his 
mother's  lap  and  leans  against  her  arm.  He  holds  a  pomegranate  in  one  hand 
and  raises  the  other  in  blessing.  The  two  graceful  angels  on  each  side  of  the 
throne  hold  baskets  full  of  red  and  white  roses. 

<THE    DEPOSITION'  PLATE    V 

"  A  MONG  the  panels  painted  by  Fra  Angelico  for  the  Florentine  churches 
J~\,  and  convents,"  writes  Signor  Supino,  "the  one  which  excels  all  in  in- 
tensity of  sentiment  and  sincerity  of  expression  is  'The  Deposition,'  once  in 
the  sacristy  of  the  Church  of  Santa  Trinita,  Florence,  and  now  in  the  Acad- 
emy of  that  city;  a  panel  'to  which,'  Vasari  tells  us,  'the  artist  devoted  so  much 
care  that  it  may  be  numbered  among  the  best  of  his  works.' 

"The  disciples,  with  loving  reverence,  lower  the  body  of  the  Saviour  from 
the  cross,  which  occupies  the  center  of  the  composition.  The  nude  body  is 
intelligently  rendered  in  nobility  of  form,  softness  of  line,  and  transparency 
of  coloring.  A  group  of  women  stand  on  the  left:  Mary  Magdalene,  con- 
spicuous by  her  long  yellow  hair  and  red  robe,  kisses  the  feet  of  Christ,  and 
the  Madonna  gazes  upon  him  in  an  ecstasy  of  grief.  On  the  right  the  dis- 
ciples discuss  the  melancholy  drama. 

[80] 


FRA    ANGELICO  39 

"The  landscape  in  the  background  shows  defects  of  perspective,  but  the 
mountains  shade  off  delicately  against  the  distant  blue  of  the  sky,  the  plain  is 
enameled  with  infinite  flowers,  and  rich  verdure  clothes  the  summit  of  the 
sacred  hill.  Although  the  picture  has  suffered  much  at  the  hands  of  restorers, 
the  whole  work  is  marked  by  grandeur  and  simplicity  combined  with  harmony 
of  coloring,  correctness  of  design,  and  deep  religious  feeling." 

That  'The  Deposition'  is  one  of  Fra  Angelico's  later  works  is  evidenced 
by  the  advance  it  shows  in  the  drawing  and  modeling  of  the  drapery  and  forms. 
In  the  figure  seated  on  the  step  of  the  ladder,  robed  in  blue  and  wearing  a 
black  cap,  the  artist  has  introduced  a  portrait  of  his  friend  Michelozzo,  the 
architect,  who,  born  in  1396,  is  here  shown  as  a  man  between  forty-five  and 
fifty  years  of  age.  This  would  seem  to  fix  the  date  of  the  painting  as  between 
1441  and  1446. 

«THE    CRUCIFIXION'  PLATE    VI 

THIS  great  fresco,  the  largest  of  Fra  Angelico's  works,  was  painted  prob- 
ably about  1442.  It  completely  covers  the  eastern  wall  of  the  chapter- 
house of  the  Convent  of  San  Marco,  Florence.  The  picture  has  been  badly 
injured  by  "restoration,"  many  of  the  figures  having  been  much  impaired,  and 
it  has  generally  been  supposed  that  the  red  color  of  the  background  was  like- 
wise attributable  to  vandalism;  but  as  Professor  Douglas  has  pointed  out, 
the  inharmonious  red  ground  was  merely  the  usual  preparation  of  fresco- 
painters  of  that  day  for  a  blue,  which  in  this  case,  if  ever  added,  has  now  en- 
tirely disappeared. 

In  this  fresco  Fra  Angelico  has  depicted  the  death  of  Christ  rather  as  a 
sacred  mystery  than  a  historical  event,  and  has  introduced  various  saints  and 
founders  of  religious  orders  as  spectators  of  the  scene.  Near  the  foot  of  the 
cross  kneels  St.  Dominic,  gazing  reverently  upward ;  behind  him  is  St.  Jerome, 
also  kneeling,  his  cardinal's  hat  beside  him  on  the  ground;  and  further  back, 
St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  overcome  with  grief.  Near  these  three  founders  of  mo- 
nastic orders  stand  St.  Augustine  and  St.  Albert  of  Vercelli,  behind  whom  is 
St.  Benedict  holding  a  bundle  of  rods.  St.  Bernard,  in  white,  clasps  a  book,  St. 
John  Gualberto  kneels  weeping,  St.  Romualdo  leans  upon  a  staff,  and  at  the 
extreme  end  of  the  group  are  the  two  Dominican  saints,  St.  Peter  Martyr  and 
St.  Thomas  Aquinas. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  cross  the  Madonna  is  supported  by  St.  John  and 
two  of  the  Marys;  near  them  are  St.  John  the  Baptist  with  the  wooden  cross, 
St.  Mark  with  an  open  book,  St.  Laurence  with  the  gridiron,  instrument  of 
his  martyrdom,  and  finally  St.  Cosmas  and  St.  Damian,  patrons  of  the  Medici 
family.  Half-figures  of  prophets  bearing  scrolls  adorn  the  arch  of  the  sim- 
ulated frame,  and  medallions  containing  portraits  of  the  most  illustrious  mem- 
bers of  the  Dominican  Order  form  a  frieze  underneath  the  picture. 

"In  this  fresco,"  writes  Lafenestre,  "Fra  Angelico  has  given  us  the  high- 
est measure  of  his  spiritual  capacity  combined  with  an  unaccustomed  vigor 
of  style.  The  figures  ranged  on  either  side  of  the  crucified  Christ  present, 
with  extraordinary  intensity  of  emotion,  all  the  aspirations  of  Giotto  and  his 

[81] 


40  MASTERS    IN    ART 

followers  toward  an  ideal  expression.  Every  shade  of  ecstasy,  of  grief,  of 
compassion  which  the  death  of  the  Saviour  could  inspire  in  the  faithful  is 
rendered  with  the  same  fidelity.    Religious  art  could  go  no  further." 

*THE    ANNUNCIATION'  PLATE    VII 

FRA  ANGELICO  painted  this  'Annunciation,' bearing  a  Latin  inscription 
inviting  all  passers-by  to  say  an  Ave  to  Our  Lady,  in  the  upper  corridor 
of  the  cloisters  of  San  Marco,  Florence.  The  fair-haired  Virgin,  clad  in  a 
pale  pink  dress  and  dark  blue  mantle,  seated  upon  a  rough  wooden  stool 
in  an  open  loggia,  reverently  receives  the  message  brought  to  her  by  the 
angel,  who,  with  wings  still  outspread  as  if  he  had  just  alighted  from  heavenly 
heights,  bows  before  her  whom  he  hails  as  the  chosen  one  of  God.  His 
pale  rose-colored  robe  is  edged  with  gold,  and  his  wings  glow  with  delicate 
tints  of  rose  and  violet,  green  and  yellow.  Through  the  arches  of  the  slen- 
der columns  we  see  a  garden  where  the  grass  is  starred  with  daisies,  and 
beyond  its  wooden  paling  rose-bushes  and  tall  cypress-trees  grow.  An  even- 
ing light  enhances  the  holy  calm  that  pervades  the  scene. 

«THE    FLIGHT    INTO    EGYPT'  PLATE    VIII 

THIS  little  panel,  but  fifteen  inches  square,  is  one  of  a  series  of  thirty- 
five  scenes  from  the  life  of  Christ,  painted,  probably  about  1449,  by 
order  of  Piero  de'  Medici,  to  decorate  the  doors  of  the  presses  which  held  the 
silver  altar-plate  of  the  Church  of  the  Annunziata,  Florence.  The  whole 
series, now  in  the  Florence  Academy,  was  executed  under  Fra  Angelico's  direct 
supervision,  but  some  of  the  panels  must  be  assigned  altogether,  or  in  great 
part,  to  his  pupils  and  assistants.  'The  Flight  into  Egypt,'  which  is  here  re- 
produced, is  one  of  the  finest  of  all  the  scenes,  and  was  executed  by  Fra 
Angelico  himself. 

The  subject  is  treated  in  the  manner  of  Giotto,  and  is  impressive  in  the 
simplicity  and  directness  with  which  the  story  is  told.  The  Virgin,  wrapped 
in  a  long  blue  mantle  and  riding  upon  an  ass,  clasps  the  Child  tenderly  in  her 
arms,  while  St.  Joseph,  clad  in  a  yellow  tunic,  walks  behind,  carrying  his  cloak 
on  a  staff  borne  across  his  shoulder.  The  winding  mountain  path  is  bordered 
with  cypresses  and  olive-trees,  and  wildflowers  cover  the  ground. 

SCENES  FROM  THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  LAURENCE  PLATES  IX  AND  X 

IN  the  winter  of  1 447-48,  at  the  instance  of  Pope  Nicholas  v.,  Fra  Angelico 
began  the  decoration  of  the  little  square  chamber  in  the  Vatican,  Rome, 
then  known  as  the  "studio"  of  the  pope,  and  now  called  the  Chapel  of  Nich- 
olas V.  On  three  of  the  walls  of  this  small  oratory  he  painted  in  two  tiers, 
one  above  the  other,  six  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Stephen  and  five  from 
that  of  St.  Laurence.  These  two  series  of  frescos,  executed  when  the  artist 
was  sixty  years  of  age,  represent  his  highest  achievement,  not  only  in  technical 
skill  and  in  modeling,  but  in  freedom  and  dramatic  power.  The  classic  details 
of  the  architecture  introduced  give  evidence  of  his  close  study  of  the  antique, 

[82] 


FRA    ANGELICO  41 

and  show  that  the  painter-monk  was  in  touch  with  the  progress  of  the  times. 
The  two  reproductions  here  given  are  from  the  lower  series  of  frescos,  which 
is  devoted  to  St.  Laurence. 

Plate  ix:  'St.  Laurence  Receiving  the  Treasures  of  the  Church.' 
This  scene  represents  the  saint  kneeling  to  receive  the  treasures  of  the  Church 
from  Pope  Sixtus  ii.,  by  whom  he  had  been  appointed  deacon.  Three  monks 
stand  near,  one  of  whom  turns  quickly  at  the  noise  made  at  the  door  by  two 
soldiers  who  have  come  to  conduct  Sixtus  to  martyrdom. 

Plate  x  :  'St.  Laurence  Giving  Alms.'  This  fresco  shows  St.  Laurence 
distributing  alms  to  the  poor.  The  figure  of  the  saint,  richly  clad  in  ecclesiastical 
vestments,  and  glowing  with  color,  the  architectural  background  of  columns 
closed  by  the  apse  of  the  church,  the  expressive  faces  and  attitudes  of  the  lame, 
the  halt,  and  the  blind  gathered  about  St.  Laurence,  make  up  a  scene  which 
is  generally  considered  the  greatest  of  all  Fra  Angelico's  works. 

A    LIST    OF    THE    PRINCIPAL    PAINTINGS    BY    FRA    ANGELICO 
WITH    THEIR    PRESENT    LOCATIONS 

ENGLAND.  London,  National  Gallery:  Christ  in  Glory  —  FRANCE.  Paris, 
Louvre :  Coronation  of  the  Virgin  (Plate  i);  Martyrdom  of  St. Cosmas  and  St. 
Damian;  Crucifixion  (fresco)  —  GERMANY.  Berlin  Gallery:  Last  Judgment;  Ma- 
donna and  Saints;  St.  Dominic  and  St.  Francis;  Glory  of  St.  Francis  —  Munich  Gallery: 
Two  Scenes  from  the  Lives  of  St.  Cosmas  and  St.  Damian;  Entombment  —  IRELAND. 
Dublin,  National  Gallery:  St.  Cosmas  and  St.  Damian  —  ITALY.  Cortona, 
Church  of  San  Domenico:  Madonna,  Saints,  and  Evangelists  (fresco);  Madonna  and 
Saints  —  Cortona,  Oratorio  del  Gesu:  Annunciation;  Two  Predelle  —  Fiesole, 
Church  of  San  Domenico :  Madonna  and  Saints  (repainted  by  Lorenzo  di  Credi); 
Crucifixion  (fresco)  —  Florence,  Academy:  The  Deposition  (Plate  v);  Madonna  and 
Six  Saints;  Series  of  Panels  with  the  Life  of  Christ  including  'The  Flight  into  Egypt' 
(Plate  viii);  Entombment;  Crucifixion;  Coronation  of  the  Virgin;  Madonna  and  Four 
Saints;  Two  Scenes  from  the  Lives  of  St.  Cosmas  and  St.  Damian;  Last  Judgment  (see 
Plate  II);  Madonna  and  Eight  Saints;  Pieta  and  Saints  —  Florence,  Uffizi  Gallery: 
'Madonna  dei  Linajuoli'  (see  Plate  lii);  Birth  of  St.  John;  Coronation  of  the  Virgin; 
Marriage  of  the  Virgin  —  Florence,  Museum  of  San  Marco  [cloister]:  St.  Peter 
Martyr,  St.  Dominic  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  Christ  as  a  Pilgrim, 
Pieta  (frescos);  [chapter-house]  The  Crucifixion  (Plate  vi)  (fresco);  [corridor]  An- 
nunciation (Plate  vii);  St.  Dominic  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  Madonna  and  Saints  (frescos); 
[cells]  'Noli  me  Tangere,'  Entombment,  Annunciation,  Crucifixion,  Nativity,  Trans- 
figuration, Ecce  Homo,  Resurrection,  Coronation,  Presentation,  Descent  to  Limbo,  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  Betrayal,  Agony  in  the  Garden,  Institution  of  the  Sacrament,  Nailing  to 
the  Cross,  Crucifixion,  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  Crucifixion  (frescos);  •  Madonna  della 
Stella';  Annunciation  and  Adoration  of  the  Magi  —  Orvieto,  Cathedral,  Chapel  of 
San  Brizio:  Last  Judgment  (in  part)  (fresco)  —  Parma  Gallery:  Madonna  and  Saints 

—  Perugia  Gallery:  Eighteen  parts  of  an  Altar-piece  including  'The  Madonna  of 
Perugia'  (Plate  iv)  —  Pisa,  Civic  Museum:  Salvator  Mundi  —  Rome,  Corsini  Gal- 
lery: Pentecost;  Last  Judgment;  Resurrection  —  Rome,  Vatican  Gallery:  Madonna, 
Child,  and  Angels;  Two  Scenes  from  the  Life  of  St.  Nicholas  of  Bari  —  Rome,  Vatican, 
Chapel  of  Pope  Nicholas  v.  :  Scenes  from  the  Lives  of  St.  Stephen  and  St.  Laurence 
including  *  St.  Laurence  Receiving  the  Treasures  of  the  Church  from  Pope  Sixtus '  (Plate 
ix),  'St.  Laurence  Giving  Alms'  (Plate  x)  (frescos) — Turin  Gallery:  Two  Adoring 
Angels  —  RUSSIA.  St.  Petersburg,  Hermitage  Gallery:  Madonna  and  Saints  (fresco) 

—  SPAIN.  Madrid,  The  Prado:  Annunciation  —  UNITED  STATES.  Boston, 
Mrs.  John  L.  Gardner's  Collection:  Death  and  Assumption  of  the  Virgin. 

[83] 


42  MASTERSINART 


jTra  angeltco  3Si6ltosrap|)? 

A    LIST    OF    THE    PRINCIPAL    BOOKS    AND    MAGAZINE    ARTICLES 
DEALING    WITH    FRA    ANGELICO 

ALEXANDRE,  A.  Histoire  populaire  de  la  peinture:  ecole  italienne.  Paris  [1894] — . 
xA-Baldinucci,  F.  Notizie  dei  professori  deldisegno,  Florence,  1845-47 — Beissel,  S. 
Fra  Giovanni  Angelico,  sein  Leben  und  seine  Werke.  Freiburg  im  Breisgau,  1895  — 
Berenson,B.  Florentine  Painters  of  the  Renaissance.  New  York,  1896  —  Billi,A.  lUibro 
di  Antonio  Billi.  Berlin,  1892  —  Bordet,  L.,*and  Ponnelle,  L.  Conversazioni  romane. 
Paris,  1902  —  Burckhardt,  J.  Der  Cicerone.  Leipsic,  1898  —  Cartier,  E.  LifeofBeato 
Angelico  da  Fiesole.  London,  1865  —  Cartwright,  J.  The  Painters  of  Florence.  London, 
1901  — Crawford,  V.  Fra  Angelico.  London,  1900  —  Crowe,  J,  A.,  and  Cavalca- 
selle,  G.  B.  History  of  Painting  in  Italy.  London,  1864  —  Dobbert,  E.  Fra  Giovanni 
Angelico  (in  Dohme's  Kunst  und  Kunstler,etc.).  Leipsic,  1878  —  Douglas,  L.  Fra  An- 
gelico. London,  1900  —  Forster,  E.  J.  Leben  und  Werke  des  Fra  Giovanni  Angelico. 
Ratisbon,  1859  —  Frantz,  E.  Geschichte  der  ChristlichenMalerei.  Freiburg  im  Breisgau, 
1887-94  —  FuMi,  L.  II  duomo  di  Orvieto.  Rome,  1891  —  Gautier,T.  Guidedel'ama- 
teur  au  Musee  du  Louvre.  Paris,  i88z  —  Gautier,  T.,  and  Others.  Les  Dieux  et  les 
demi-dieux  de  la  peinture.  Paris,  1864  —  Gaye,  G.  Carteggio  inedito  degli  artisti  del 
secoli  XIV.,  XV.,  XVI.  Florence,  1839-40  —  Goodwin,  T.  Life  of  Fra  Angelico.  London, 
1861 — Jameson,  A.  Memoirsof  Early  Italian  Painters.  Boston,  1896  —  Kugler,  F.  T. 
Italian  Schools  of  Painting.  Revised  by  A.  H.  Layard.  London,  1900  —  Kuhn,  A.  All- 
gemeine  Kunst-Geschichte.  Einsiedeln,  1891  —  Lafenestre,  G.  La  Peinture  italienne. 
Paris  [1885]  —  Lindsay,  A.  W.  C.  Sketches  of  the  History  of  Christian  Art.  London, 
1885 — LuBKE,W.  History  of  Art.  New  York,  1878 — Luzi,  L.  II  duomo  di  Orvieto. 
Florence,  1866  —  Mantz,  P.  Les  Chefs-d'oeuvre  de  la  peinture  italienne.  Paris,  1870  — 
Marchese,  p.  V.  Lives  of  Painters,  Sculptors,  and  Architects  of  the  Order  of  S.  Dominic: 
Trans,  by  C.  P.  Meehan.  Dublin,  1852 — Montalembert,  Comte  de.  Du  Vandalisme 
et  du  Catholicisme  dans  Tart.  Paris,  1839  —  Muntz,E.  Les  Arts  a  la  cour  des  papes. 
Paris,  1898  —  MiJNTZ,  E.  Histoire  de  Tart  pendant  la  Renaissance.  Paris,  1889 — Oli- 
PHant,  M.  O.W.  The  Makers  of  Florence.  London,  1876 — Perate,  A.  Les  Papes  et 
les  arts  (in  Le  Vatican,  les  papes  et  la  civilisation).  Paris,  1895  — Phillimore,  C.  M.  Fra 
Angelico.  London,  1881 — Reymond,  M.  Le  Couronnement  da  la  Vierge  (in  Jouin's 
Chefs-d'oeuvre).  Paris,  1895-99  —  RiCHA,  G.  Notizie  istoriche  delle  chiese  fiorentine. 
Florence,  1754-62  —  Rio,  A.  F.  De  I'art  chretien.  Paris,  1864 — ^Rumohr,  C.  F.  v. 
Italienische  Forschungen.  Berlin,  1827—31 — Schlegel,  A.  W.  v.  Johann  von  Fiesole 
(in  his  collected  works).  Leipsic,  1846  —  Stillman,  W.  J.  Old  Italian  Masters.  New 
York,  1892  —  SupiNO,  I.  B.  Fra  Angelico:  Trans,  by  Leader  Scott.  Florence,  1902  — 
Taine,  H.  Voyage  en  Italie.  Paris,  1866 — Tumiati,  D.  Frate  Angelico.  Florence, 
1897  —  Vasari,  G.  Lives  of  the  Painters.  New  York,  1897  —  Wherry,  A.  Stories  of 
the  Tuscan  Artists.   NewYork,i9oi  —  Williamson, G.C.  FraAngelico.   London,i9oi. 

MAGAZINE    articles 

L'ART,  1883:  M.  Faucon;  L'CEuvre  de  FraAngelico  a  Rome  —  L'Arte,  1901: 
A.  Venturi;  Beato  Angelico  e  Benozzo  Gozzoli  —  The  Month,  1901:  H.  Lucas; 
Fra  Angelico  —  Pall  Mall  Magazine,  1893:  G.  Allen;  FraAngelico  at  San  Marco  — 
Repertorium  fur  Kunstwissenschaft,  1898:  M.  Wingenroth;  Beitrage  zur  Angelico- 
Forschung — Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  1853:  H.  Delaborde;  Fra  Angelico  —  Revue 
DE  L'Art  Chretien,  1897,  1898:  J.  Helbig;  Fra  Giovanni  Angelico,  par  fitienne  Beissel 
—  Revue  Thomiste,  1898:  Abbe  Auriol;  De  Fra  Angelico.  1901:  Clerissac;  Fra  An- 
gelico et  le  surnaturel  dans  Tart  —  Universite  Catholique,  1898:  Abbe  Broussolle;  La 
Critique  mystique  et  Fra  Angelico. 

[84] 


MASTERS    I N    ART 

A       SERIES       OF       ILLUSTRATED 
MONOGRAPHS:     ISSUED     MONTHLY 


PART    38 


FEBRUARY,     1903 


VOLUME  4 


:ffxn.  ^ngelito 


CONTENTS 


Plate  I.  The  Coronation  of  the  Virgin 

Plate  II.  Dance  of  the  Angels  [Detail  from  '  The  Last  Judgment '] 

Plate  III.  Angels  [Prom  the  Frame  of  the  '  Madonna  dei  Linajuoli '] 

Plate  IV.  The  Madonna  of  Perugia 

Plate  V.  The  Deposition 

Plate  VI.  The  Crucifixion 

Plate  VII.  The  Annunciation 

Plate  VIII.  The  Flight  into  Egypt 

Plate  IX. 


Louvre  :  Paris 

Academy :  Florence 

Uffizi  Gallery :  Florence 

Perugia  Gallery 

Academy :  Florence 

Museum  of  San  Marco  :  Florence 

Museum  of  San  Marco  :  Florence 

Academy:  Florence 


St.  Laurence  Receiving  the  Treasures  of  the  Church 

Chapel  of  Nicholas  V.,  Vatican  :  Rome 
Plate  X.         St.  Laurence  Giving  Alms  Chapel  of  Nicholas  V.,  Vatican  :  Rome 

Ef!ig^  of  Fra  Angelico :  From  his  Tomb  in  Santa  Maria  Sopra  Minerva,  Rome  Page  23 

The  Life  of  Fra  Angelico  Page  23 

Based  on  '  Fra  Angelico,'  by  Langton  Douglas.      Giorgio  Vasari 
The  Art  of  Fra  Angelico  Page  27 

Criticisms  by  Douglas,  E.  H.  and  E.  W.  Blashfield,  and  A.  A.  Hopkins,  Editors, 
Taine,  Supino,  Scctt,  Williamson. 

The  Works  of  Fra  Angelico :  Descriptions  of  the  Plates  and  a  List  of  Paintings  Page  36 

Fra  Angelico  Bibliography  Page  42 

Phito-ingraving}  by  Ftlsom  &"  Suntrgrtn  .•  Btittn,     Priss-wcrh  by  tht  Evtrttt  Prist :  Buttn 


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